ABC

With so many amazing contenders in the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ semifinals, it was really anyone’s guess who’d leave after Tuesday night’s elimination show.

So which three couples will move on to next week’s big finale?

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was nice enough to introduce first-time viewers to her cleavage, kicked off the show by letting the judges choose an encore dance from performance night.

Len announced the honors would go to William and Cheryl’s samba, so the bronzed pair again took to the stage to showcase William’s bouncy backside to a grateful nation.

Then we got a backstage look at what exactly happened to Katherine after she flubbed the end of her second routine on Monday. Apparently a twinge in her back chose to make itself known at an inopportune time, and she was devastated — although it seemed she was more concerned about possibly costing Mark a spot in the finals than she was about herself.

Brooke’s cleavage called Katherine and Mark to the stage to learn their fate, and after they were told they were the first to make it to the finals, they jumped so high it honestly looked like they’d both been launched from ejector seats. Much rejoicing ensued, and we have to say we’re pleased we’ll get to see them next week.

Next up: Derek and Maria, who had a helluva night on Monday. But even though they were at the top of the judges’ leaderboard, they must have fallen short on audience votes because they were the first couple in jeopardy.

Then we got a peek at the upcoming ‘Rock of Ages‘ movie, only live on stage, featuring ‘DWTS’ vet Julianne Hough and the always-amazing Mary J. Blige. It was … well, see for yourself:

Donald and Peta were the next to be told they were in jeopardy, which course meant William and Cheryl moved on to the finals.

And in what many people will probably feel was a really shocking result, Maria and Derek were eliminated, even after getting one perfect score and one near-perfect score on Monday. Yeah, those audience votes do matter. (Is this a good time to say we predicted they’d come in fourth?)

But if Maria was surprised, she sure didn’t let it show. “I learned so many things,” she said about her time on the show. “I learned how strong I was. I learned to persevere.” Classy lady — and as we said, it really could’ve been anyone who went home.

See you next week, when we’ll finally find out who wins the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Obama for America/Romney for President, YouTube

As the 2012 presidential race continues to heat up, voters are paying close attention to all the candidates (we’re hoping), even how they react to Mother’s Day. To celebrate moms everywhere (and in an effort to snag your future votes), President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney both released video tributes to honor the most important women in their lives.

For Obama, this meant highlighting everything his mom, grandmother and his wife Michelle Obama has done for him and his family. “Michelle is the best mom I know,” he says, before pulling at your heart strings with heartwarming photos of Michelle and his two daughters. “I’d like to say that I had something to do with [raising my girls], but I think in fairness I gotta give her most of the credit.”

Watch the Obama Campaign’s Mother’s Day Tribute Video

Mitt Romney’s took a different approach to Mother’s Day and decided to focus on one mom in particular — Mrs. Ann Romney. Each of the five Romney sons sat down in front of a camera to remember all the reasons why they love their mom. While the family stories of scarfing down marshmallow fluff and making pancakes will make you laugh, the admiration each of them have for their mom overcoming cancer and multiple sclerosis might make you tear up.

Watch the Romney Compaign’s Mother’s Day Tribute Video

So, which one made you cry the most?

Source: TheFW.com

Mud Factor

We’ve been receiving a ton of questions asking, ‘What exactly is Mud Factor?’ Is it a race or just for fun? Why is it called ‘hardcore’? Let us help you out and answer a few of these intriguing questions.

Mud Factor is coming to Mid-Michigan on June 30th at Baja Acres in Millington and many people have no clue what a ‘mud factor’ is. Mud Factor is a fun ‘Hard Core. 5k. Obstacle Run.;’ don’t let the term ‘hardcore’ scare you off — the competition isn’t ‘hardcore’ the obstacles are what make it ‘hardcore.’

Yes, the guys at Mud Factor will be providing you with a ‘time chip’ to track your time, that is just for you to see your accomplishment, as well as competing among friends if you wish.

The accomplishment here … to just finish the obstacle course, you will receive a medal just for finishing.

The obstacle course will be full of rope climbs, mud pits, steep inclines and more — if you’re not in shape, take your time, there will be a ton of walkers to join. Just remember your own limitations!

If you want more information, to register or to just glimpse at a few of their videos, visit Mud Factor’s website.

Ian Gavan, Getty Images

This morning, legendary hairstylist Vidal Sassoon passed away in his home at the age of 84, according to a Los Angeles police department spokesperson. The renowned salon kingpin died of “apparent natural causes.”

At 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, police were called to Sassoon’s home in Bel Air. “When officers arrived, there were family members at the residence,” said spokesperson Kevin Maiberger. Word is Sassoon also suffered from leukemia.

An icon of the hair industry, Sassoon led an incredible life. As a child, the British native spent several years in a London orphanage after his father left and his mother couldn’t afford to take care of him. Later, his mother apprenticed him to a local barber to fulfill her dream of her son working in a barber shop.

Those humble beginnings led to the nearly unrivaled career of a man who created the classic bob hairstyle during the 1960s, a very popular line of hair care products, a range of hair care tools and a chain of chic salons. Sassoon made styling hair an art form.

We’ll also remember Vidal for his hair care product ads from the ’80s which gave us the classic slogan, “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” Remember the hairstyling legend with some classic ads below.

Classic Vidal Sassoon Ads

Trailer for the 2010 documentary ‘Vidal Sassoon: The Movie’

Source: TheFW.com

Warner Bros.

Limited releases aside, there’s only one movie you need to worry about seeing this weekend — Tim Burton’s ‘Dark Shadows.’

Johnny Depp revises the role of cursed vampire Barnaby Collins, originally portrayed by Jonathan Frid. After a jealous witch (Angelique Bouchard) casts a spell on Collins and imprisons him inside a coffin, he awakens centuries later to find that his family’s once-grand estate is in shambles. Not only must he help save his family and business before they fall into bankruptcy, but he also has to deal with the crazy-obsessive sorceress.

Here’s a sneak peek:

‘Dark Shadows’

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloë Grace Moretz
Get Tickets & Showtimes

YouTube

Whether you’re tight on cash or simply want to shower mom with gifts from the heart, opting for the do-it-yourself route is a great alternative to store bought treats. And even though she’ll love anything you get her, she’ll definitely notice — and appreciate — the extra bit of elbow grease you put into Mother’s Day this year.

Here are a few instructional videos on how to make creative Mother’s Day gifts from scratch.

1. Indoor Mini Planter

Have a mom with a green thumb? She’ll adore this precious planter.

2. Candy Bouquets

Instead of a floral arrangement this year, give mom an edible bouquet.

3. DIY Bath Bombs

Treat your mom to a spa day with these homemade bath bombs.

4. DIY Handprint Flower Card

Get the kiddos involved with this truly handmade card.

5. Paper Flower Gift Bag

Go DIY with the gift wrap, too, by making a decorative bag to hold your gifts for mom.

- Additional reporting by Wendy Gould

jmacphoto.com, Flickr

Today we’ll give away one more FREE pair of tickets to see Leahy at the Whiting, this Saturday, during the Brenda Brissette-Mata show.  LEAHY is a whirlwind triple-threat of fiddle-driven music, dance, and vocals augmented by keyboards and percussion. Their music combines the influence of their Irish and Scottish roots, and they are back at the Whiting by popular demand.  Try not to tap your feet while they perform, I dare you!   Tune in to Flint’s News Talk 1470 WFNT today at 11am for your chance to win our last pair of tickets to see Leahy.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected University of California’s Bryan Anger for the 70th pick of the NFL Draft on Saturday, they couldn’t have anticipated what would come next.

Eisen went off on a tirade about the punter’s position and how “punters are people, too.” Even after his fellow commentators tried to discuss Anger’s on-the-field performance, Eisen refused to back down. “I want a punter in the green room next year.” What do you think? Too much?

[via BuzzFeed]

Source: TheFW.com

CSPAN

Traditionally, the White House Correspondents Dinner is an opportunity for the President of the United States to let his guard down and become an entertainer for evening, performing a comedy routine for the crowd before taking his seat and being playfully roasted by a comedian. This year, President Barack Obama was joined by late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Since this is the internet, both of their routines are online for you to see!

Neither of the routines are particularly brief, so you better grab a can of soda and a bag of chips. First up is President Obama’s routine, which opens with him offstage, his mic “left on,” letting the entire audience listen to him complain about being forced to entertain a Kardashian and the cast of ‘Glee‘ while pondering whether or not he needs to dye the gray ouf of his hair. If Obama has one thing in abundance, it’s charisma and his willingness to be humorously self-deprecating leads to plenty of funny bits.

When the President finished, Jimmy Kimmel took the stage to roast the commander-in-chief, finding just as many opportunities to poke fun at recent, er, problems with the Secret Service as he did Obama. He opens with some easy jokes (Obama’s ears are big! Some people still think he’s a Muslim!), but he also gets plenty of political jabs in, particularly at Obama’s frequent clashing and failed compromises with the Republican party.

What do you think? Did the President and Kimmel perform well? Did you laugh? Most importantly, what was your favorite part? Yes, reaction shots of hilariously solemn, disapproving faces in the crowd does count as an answer!

Source: ScreenCrush.com

David Livingston/Ian Walton/Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Receiver Mohamed Sanu was the victim of a practical joke on Thursday night when someone called him pretending to be from the Cincinnati Bengals intending to draft him with the 27th pick. The Bengals wound up taking the Rutgers product in the third round and there were no hard feelings toward the kid who had pranked Sanu.

But Sanu isn’t the first athlete to be the target of a hoax.

Here’s a look back at 10 other athletes who fell victim:

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL

He’s known as a bit of a jokester, so Shaq got a served some of his own medicine in 2009 following a practice. Suns’ forward Lou Amundson filled Shaq’s car with pink packing peanuts. It was done as revenge for Shaq supposedly stealing Amundson’s bicycle from its spot over the course of the season.

DIRK NOWITZKI

Ashton Kutcher’s MTV show ‘Punk’d’  took on the Mavericks’ forward in 2005 by sending an adoring young fan into the restaurant seeking an autograph. And then having him return to interrupt Dirk’s dinner again with some more paraphernalia for him to sign. Nowitzki had a heart and the patience to deal with the kid for quite a while before he cut him off to the dismay of the kid and his waiting mother. After some pressure, Dirk agreed to continue the signature fest. “You might be the nicest guy in the NBA,” a member of his dinner party says.

KIRK GIBSON

In 1988, the Dodgers’ slugger had issues with a practical joke perpetrated by his new teammates who put eye-black inside of his hat that left a black mark on Gibson’s forehead. He took exception to the prank, and left the clubhouse in protest before the team’s exhibition game against the Chunichi Dragons. Years later, Gibson, now manager of the Diamondbacks, was in better spirits when his team all wore ties for a flight that featured pictures of Gibson. ”I’ll pick a good opportunity,” Gibson said about reliever J.J. Putz, who orchestrated the whole thing. “I’ll get him. If he keeps getting guys out, he can prank me all he wants.”

ED WELLS

Babe Ruth was notorious as a lovable prankster, and he pulled off one of his best stunts in 1929 on his new teammate, Ed Wells. Ruth invited Wells to go on a double date with him, but when they arrived to pick up the ladies, someone else greeted them, accusing Ruth of committing adultery with his wife. He then shot a blank from his gun at Ruth, who pretended to be hit. Wells took of running, and the Yankees all carried on the ruse for days that Ruth was on his deathbed. Even after Wells was filled in — after passing out — he reportedly never had a sense of humor about the encounter.

LEW KRAUSSE

Moe Drabowsky might not be a household name, but the former journeyman pitcher was one of the best practical jokers in MLB history. In one of his most memorable stunts, he called the Kansas City bullpen during a game to get his teammate Krausse up and loose, pretending that Krausse was going to be coming into the game. Then, minutes later, Drabowsky informed the bullpen to have Krausse sit back down, and he wasn’t entering the game. Earlier in his career, Drabowsky used a wheelchair to get to first base after he was hit by a pitch.

JAVARIS CRITTETDON

It’s one of the league’s worst moments in recent years, and it all started as a practical joke. Wizards’ star Gilbert Arenas pulled a gun on teammate Javaris Crittenton in 2010 after a locker room dispute escalated. ”I know Gilbert is a good guy,” Pacers guard T.J. Ford said. “I don’t think, like he said in his statement, that he was trying to hurt anybody.” Most people didn’t have a sense of humor about the incident, and the Wizards parted ways with Arenas later that year via trade.

MICHAEL HARRINGTON

Soccer player Michael Harrington was the victim of an innocent April Fools’ Day prank orchestrated by his Kansas City Wizards’ teammates in 2010. They told Harrington that Maxim magazine was doing a photo shoot that required him to dress up like a cat. Cameramen shot Harrington from all angles, purring and pawing around the field, and his teammates watched the footage later on.

JAMES ELLINGTON

ORINOCO FAAMAUSilI-BANSE-PRINCE

Ellington isn’t the only Olympian to fall victim to a prank leading up to an Olympics. Back in 2008, New Zealand relay swimmer Orinoco Faamausili-Banse-Prince fell for a practical joke of teammate Matt Herring: “He texted me and said: ‘I’ve got some bad news.’ I was preparing myself for the worst, then he texted back and said ‘just kidding.’” With so much on the line leading up to the world’s biggest games, even a small prank can have damaging effects. But Faamausili-Banse-Prince shook it off.

MATT COCHRAN

Beware of the perils of social media. Matt Cochran’s college football recruitment included YouTube videos and some interaction via social networking. After Cochran’s teammate Aziz Shittu signed onto Cochran’s Facebook account and posted that he had committed to Auburn this winter, all hell broke loose. ”I found out two hours after he did it,” said Cochran. “It was kind of funny. But it was a mess for a little while.” Especially after Cochran really committed to play with the California Golden Bears. Good joke? You decide.

YouTube / HarperCollins

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 20 years since the brutal beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers was videotaped and horrified a nation. Now, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the riots incited by his case, King looks back on the ordeal and his life since then in a new memoir, ‘The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption.’

On March 3, 1991, King was driving under the influence and initially didn’t stop when he saw the blue lights of the LAPD in his rearview mirror. When he eventually did pull over, four officers hit him more than 50 times with their batons, kicked him and shot him with stun guns, with the whole incident caught on tape by an onlooker.

Those officers went to trial and were acquitted by an all-white jury on April 29, 1992, sparking a three-day riot in LA that left 55 people dead and caused billions in property damage. As the riots raged on, King issued a public plea for peace, uttering the now-famous line, “Can we all get along?”

In a civil suit, King was later awarded almost $4 million from the city, but thanks to bad investments, that money is gone. King still suffers physical problems from the beating and alcoholism has also resulted in several more arrests. Even after all this time, though, he’s not bitter.

“America’s been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all,” he says. “This part of my life is the easy part now.”

Asked for comment about the Trayvon Martin case in which a young unarmed black man was recently shot and killed, King told TMZ, “I’m hoping he gets justice for his family…’cause he’s no longer here, so for his family,” adding, “Luckily I got [my attack] seen on tape.”

Watch him talk about his own traumatic ordeal below.

[NPR]

YouTube

While Google Drive sounds like it has something to do with the search company’s much buzzed about driverless car project, it’s actually a completely different direction in Google’s quest for world domination.

The 5GB cloud-storage service, which launched this week, allows users to access information from any of their computing devices. It also includes the functionality of Google docs, which means you can use it to collaborate with colleagues in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. (Learn more in the video below.)

Google Drive installs as an app on Windows, OS X and Android. Among other features is a tagging system, which allows quick access to all your information, including PDF files and photos.

“Keep everything, share anything,” is Google’s motto for the system. Of course, you will also be sharing all your information with Google. (Bur, really, you are probably already sharing much more personal stuff with the folks over at Facebook.)

While the service’s first 5GB of storage is free, you can chose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49 a month, 100GB for $4.99 a month or 1TB for $49.99 per month.

So, is Google Drive something you’re planning on downloading?

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

The odds of picking winning lottery numbers are remarkably slim — let alone doing it twice with the exact same numbers. Yet that’s what happened to a Virginia woman who won a $1 million Powerball lottery twice on the same day.

Virginia Fike, from Clear Brook, VA., meant to buy one Powerball and one Mega Millions ticket, but accidentally bought two Powerball tickets instead, both with the same hand-picked numbers.

When she noticed she’d doubled up on the Powerball entries, she decided to let ‘em ride. “I was like, ‘If I win, I win twice’ … so I just went ahead and took the tickets,” Fike said.

She wound up matching five out of the six numbers, thus winning two $1 million prizes and becoming the first person in the state to do so on the same day.

After taxes she took home $1.4 million, which she plans to use on bills and taking care of her elderly parents.

“Really it still just hasn’t sunk in,” she said. “It feels good but it’s still just like right, you know somebody’s going to pinch me and I’m going to wake up and this’ll all be a dream.”

Watch a story about Virginia’s newest millionaire below.

[Northern Virginia Daily]

ABC

After last week’s parade of rainbow ruffles on Latin Night, it was time to focus on the Motor City as ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ did its version of a Motown Night.

We started with what can only be described as Zombie Smokey Robinson (seriously, what the hell happened to his face?!), who was joined by Martha Reeves and the Temptations doing a medley of songs everyone over the age of five should be required to know.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was wearing a dress that reminded you she has boobs (just in case you forgot), explained that for the first time ever, the dancers would be performing Motown hits as the actual artists who made them famous (or at least bits and pieces of the groups who haven’t yet been zombified) appeared to sing them.

We’re not quite sure how Gladys Knight is going to dance and sing, but let’s see how this pans out. Oh, and there will also be a “dance marathon,” which is basically the ‘DWTS’ version of extra-credit.

Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus
Score: 21 out of 30 (7/7/7)
Buzzkill — Gladys didn’t sing, but instead said she’d be dancing to the Temptations’ ‘My Girl.’ During rehearsals, she explained she and the Pips used to beat the Temps’ asses during softball games. Motown dish! One of her Pips even showed up to help her get her groove on as she prepped for her rumba. Have we mentioned she’s gorgeous? Because good god, she is. Len said she’s not the best dancer but she’s the most charismatic, and Carrie Ann felt bad even critiquing her on Motown Night, but the overall consensus was “we love you, please dance better.”

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
Score: 26 out of 30 (8/9/9)
Maria said she was ready to “get down and Motown” with her foxtrot, and her performance was backed up by Martha Reeves’ ‘Jimmy Mack.’ Her dance was lovely, but it looked like someone was off-step early on, even though they quickly recovered. Bruno called out the slip but said the performance was a “gleaming blend of sophistication with elegance,” and Len called the dance “a joy to my eyes,” while Martha was a “joy to my ears.”

Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower
Score: 23 out of 30 (7/8/8)
Chelsie explained to Roshon that the rumba is sensual, and then she asked what he thought that meant. And to the joy of abstinence-only educators everywhere, he said it was “like a hug.” The two danced as Zombie Smokey sang ‘Crusin” — and oh my, it looked like Chelsie gave young Roshon a lesson in sensuality because that was kinda steamy, yo. But apparently it had its technical flaws because Carrie Ann said the movements were “too exaggerated” and Len said they were “clipped and jerky.”

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas
Score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)
Katherine had trouble rehearsing for her samba until she got some bounce in her knees, but once she had it down, of course it was great. The pair performed to the Temps’ ‘Can’t Get Next to You,’ with Katherine all glittery gold in both her dress and her bouffanted hair and showing no trace of any bounce trouble whatsoever. Len called her “the midwife” because she “keeps delivering week after week,” and Bruno called the routine “exhilarating.”

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatoyd
Score: 27 out of 30 (9/9/9)
Peta said Donald’s foxtrot needed to be technically awesome, and as much as Donald wants a 10 from Len, he rehearsed — hard. They danced to the Temps’ ‘The Way You Do the Things You Do,’ both of them gorgeous in teal, with a little mid-routine flirtation with the judges thrown in for good measure. Bruno said it had “pizazz, confidence and power,” and Len made Donald’s day by saying it was like “fireworks exploding,” and even pressed Peta to challenge him more.

Melissa Gilbert and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Score: 24 out of 30 (8/8/8)
Melissa doesn’t want to leave yet, but after last week’s mediocre scores, she knew her Viennese waltz needed to be perfect. She and Maks butted heads during rehearsals, but by the time they danced to Zombie Smokey’s ‘Ooo Baby Baby,’ things seemed to come together okay. Melissa tries so hard, but she just never looks quite … I don’t know, “fluid” enough? Carrie Ann said all the hard work shows, and Len said it was done “wonderfully well.”

Jaleel White and Kym Johnson
Score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)
Jaleel narrowly escaped elimination last week, with the judges saving him during the Dance Duel. His confidence was a little tattered as a result, but Kym is truly an amazing teacher, so when the pair danced the cha-cha-cha to the Temps’ ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,’ Jaleel’s swagger was back on full display for a stellar performance. Bruno said it was the “biggest sizzler of the season,” and Carrie Ann said he definitely brought his A-game. They awarded Jaleel his highest scores of the season.

William Levy and Cheryl Burke
Score: 27 out of 30 (9/8/10)
Cheryl said she was looking forward to slowing things down with their rumba, and they managed to escape the clutches of Zombie Smokey as he sang ‘Bein’ with You’ (jokes aside, he still sounds great). And holy jalapenos, that dance was seriously hot. Bruno said it was “absolute and utter filth, and I loved every minute of it,” Carrie Ann somehow thought William and Cheryl weren’t connected the whole time (buh?), and Len said it was good but “too raunchy.”

And then it was time for the Dance Marathon. Everyone on the floor at the same time, with the judges eliminating them one by one — the longer they lasted, the more points they got.

Here’s the order each celeb went out, and how many points were added to their scores.

Gladys – 3
Maria – 4
Roshon – 5
Melissa – 6
Donald – 7
Jaleel – 8
William – 9
Katherine – 10

Tuesday night, the bottom two will again dance for survival. See you then.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Kristian Dowling, Getty Images

Somewhere in a California mansion, Will Smith is laughing maniacally as he signs the checks from ‘Men in Black 3,’ and gazes over his Hollywood kingdom while taking a deep spiritual peace in the life he’s led, the children he’s raised, and the cinematic memories he’s created.  Suddenly, Tom Jones’ music could be heard in the distance, and Will knew that Alfonso Ribeiro had eclipsed his legacy forever.

Stop everything, Planet Earth.  While Will Smith made $3 million dollars in the time it took you to read this clause, his former ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ co-star Alfonso Ribeiro may have changed history itself by leading our great nation in a coast-to-coast rendition of his famous “Carlton Dance,” set to the swingin’ sounds of that cool cat Tom Jones.  And you thought your life held meaning before.

This monumental occasion first began in Hollywood’s Universal Studios City Walk, where Banks Ribeiro began his famous dance, before being joined by the surrounding mob, and dancing to a medley off songs that also included the famous “Apache” dance also popularized by ‘The Fresh Prince.’

Far from pure glorious spontaneity of course, the nation-wide dance was staged as part of an effort to break the record for the largest simultaneous flash-mob in North America, with similar groups performing the dance around the country at the same time.  As awestruck as we are at such a momentous event, it remains unknown if their effort to break the record was successful.

Somewhere, we have to assume Will Smith openly weeps for fear of his lost fame, and his heart having been overwhelmed by sheer beauty.

Observe ViSalus‘ coverage of the glorious dance below, and know that it’s not unusual to cry.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

YouTube/Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images/Stephen Dunn, AllSport

Former Mets’ prospect Philip Humber impressed his critics on Saturday when he tossed the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history, blanking the Seattle Mariners, 4-0. Now a member of the Chicago White Sox, Humber had bounced around the league a bit over recent years looking for a permanent home.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Humber said. “I don’t know what Philip Humber is doing in this list. No idea what my name is doing there, but I’m thankful it’s there.”

Here’s a look at how unlikely Humber was to reach perfection, and nine others who surprised people when they tossed their perfect games:

PHILIP HUMBER

This was only Humber’s 12th win of his entire career, having endured Tommy John surgery during his first year in the league. He’s a former number three pick of the MLB Draft, and was shipped to Minnesota in the deal that brought the Mets star pitcher Johan Santana in 2008. He’s long had the potential for success, and at last there are some flashes of greatness that will have people paying attention to him for a long time coming.

DALLAS BRADEN

What a Mother’s Day tribute it was when Braden pitched a perfect game in 2010, a day in which he had to be thinking about his deceased mother. It was just Braden’s 53rd start of his career and his grandmother was on hand for the emotional moment. ”It’s a more important day for my grandmother than anything,” Braden said. “That’s the biggest thing to be able to give her something like this on a day of this magnitude, considering everything we’ve been through together. It’s more about her for me.”

DAVID WELLS

Wells was a known pitcher when he played, mostly for his moodiness. In 1998, he entered the record books when he pitched his perfect game as a member of the Yankees. But controversy about the game erupted give years later as Wells was promoting his autobiography, ‘Perfect I’m Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball.’ In it, Wells claimed that he was half-drunk that day. A few days later, Wells clarified that he had misspoken in the book and that he was simply hung over when he tossed his perfect game.

KENNY ROGERS

In 1994,Rangers’ veteran Kenny Rogers got his perfect game with a little help from outfielder Rusty Greer, who salvaged it with a diving catch in the 9th inning. ”I never thought he was going to get it,” Rogers said. “I thought that ball was going to drop, no matter what. Then, I thought the ball was going to pop out.” Rogers entered that game with a 4.32 ERA and was not exactly a feared pitcher.

DENNIS MARTINEZ

Just days after his teammate Mark Gardner flirted with a no-hitter, Dennis Martinez recorded a perfect game in 1991 at the age of 36. “I don’t know what was special,” he said. “I just think every game I pitch my best effort. It just happened. It may never happen again in my lifetime.” Martinez wound up winning an impressive 245 games in his career, but never 20 in one season. His perfect game is what makes him a household name today.

TOM BROWNING

Browning was one of the Reds’ best pitchers of the 1980s, so it’s not a shock that he had some good outings. But what’s remarkable is how good some of them were. In 1988, he threw a perfect game after flirting with a no-hitter earlier in the season. And he almost did it again a year later when he came within three outs of becoming the first major leaguer to pitch two perfect games.

MIKE WITT

The Angels’ hurler allowed just four balls to escape the infield in his dominant performance when he earned a perfect game in 1984. “I was awe struck,” said the 24-year-old. “Getting 27 outs is incredible. All you’re trying to do is get outs. All I know is it’s hard as heck to get.” Witt had gone 7-14 the previous season, and the California fans were not exactly enthusiastic about the ball club — only 8,375 fans were at Arlington Stadium that day. Still, Witt gave them something to see that day.

LEN BARKER

He had a much forgettable and uneven career in the ’70s and ’80s, but Len Barker did achieve something lasting in 1981 when he tallied a perfect game for the Indians. “I know I pitched a perfect game but it really hasn’t set in yet,” Barker said. “I pitched no-hitters in American Legion ball, but I always walked nine of ten batters.” What’s most amazing about Barker’s accomplishment is that he was known as a wild pitcher, and it’s hard to imagine him having the control and discipline to retire every batter he faced.

DON LARSEN

The most famous perfect game of all-time came during the 1956 World Series when the Yankees’ Don Larsen took care of 27 Dodgers players in order. Larsen said in a 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated that he didn’t know what a perfect game was until after he’d thrown one. He thought he’d thrown a no-hitter. Overnight, he became a celebrity. However, he couldn’t keep up, finishing with a lifetime record of 81-91. “People said I didn’t do enough in my career,” Larsen said, “and maybe they’re right. But I had one great day.”

CHARLIE ROBERTSON

Robertson was the first White Sox pitcher to go perfect in 1922 — so long ago there isn’t even a picture we can offer you. He accomplished the feat in just his fourth start. Robertson is not a known player, finishing 49-80 in his pro career. “Charlie Robertson was the worst major league pitcher ever to throw a perfect game,” said a Sports Illustrated writer. After the game, the Tigers, who Robertson had shut down, wanted the league to check the balls for any funny business, but the league refused the request. Robertson must have been happy with his performance. It earned him a $15 raise.

Harry How, Getty Images

On Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace got excited after a dunk and wound up slugging Oklahoma City’s James Harden in the head with a wayward elbow during the Lakers double overtime win.

World Peace, who has a long and colorful history of fines and suspensions, was tossed from the game and is likely to face another suspension from the NBA. Here’s a look back at some of World Peace’s most troubling and bizarre moments over his past decade in the league:

JANUARY 2003

World Peace, then still known as Ron Artest and playing with the Indiana Pacers, got hit with a three-game suspension without pay and was fined $35,000 for throwing a TV monitor and destroying a camera after a game at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The camera was reportedly worth roughly $100,000. ”I can understand where they’re coming from,” Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. “Any time you do something like that, you put yourself in a position where others can control you.”

JANUARY 2003

His “wacky behavior” got the best of him during a game against the Heat when World Peace went off at the opposing players, coaches, fans, and anyone else in his way. ”It’s not uncommon in this league — half of them are taunting all the time, taunting benches, taunting each other, taunting coaches,” Heat coach Pat Riley said. It reached a point where World Peace actually leaned up on Riley, who was forced to push him off and make it clear that he would fight against the players’ antics.

NOVEMBER 2004

The Pacers benched World Peace for two games after he asked coach Rick Carlisle if he could take some time off to, at least in part, promote his rap album. World Peace clarified that he needed a month to recoup from some injuries: ”My body has been aching, I was going to take some time off, and I said it the wrong way.” Some were skeptical about World Peace’s intentions with the request for time away.

NOVEMBER 2004

The infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl left World Peace with plenty of time off after he was suspended for 73 games for his role in inciting violence during a game in Detroit. ”I have total respect for all the players who play the game, and I respect David Stern, but I don’t think that he has been fair with me in this situation,” he said. He apologized, too. Other players were suspended and fined, as well, but it’s World Peace who will forever be most attached to that shameful night.

MAY 2008

After the Pacers shipped him out of town, World Peace found his way back into trouble as he publicly accused his new coach of the Sacramento Kings, Reggie Theus, of deliberately losing. The  27-32 Kings were in the playoff hunt at the time, but World Peace wanted to make clear how he felt about Theus. “I’m glad coach didn’t give up like he did in Miami,” he said. “In Miami we were down 14, (and) he pulled me out. We got down 26, and he put me back in the game.” The comments earned World Peace a $5,000 fine from his team.

NOVEMBER 2009

Word got out that while with the Rockets, World Peace would show up to the team bus in just his boxer shorts. So Jimmy Kimmel, when he had World Peace on his show, intended to find out if the rumor was true. And World Peace stripped down on late-night TV. “From the interview you can tell he is happy to be LA and a happy Artest could be the key to another Lakers’ championship,” said one blogger.

DECEMBER 2009

World Peace opened his mouth again when he shouldn’t have during an interview with the Sporting News when he admitted that he drank alcohol during games while playing for the Bulls. “I used to drink Hennessy… at halftime,” he said. ”I [kept it] in my locker. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it.” An NBA spokesman responded quickly by saying, “We have no comment and we hope Ron has a successful season” with his new team, the Lakers.

JUNE 2010

After the Lakers took home the NBA championship, World Peace was so ecstatic that he thanked his…shrink. He played well and scored 20 points in the final win. Here’s what he said in a nationally televised interview: “My psychiatrist, she really helped me relax a lot. Thank you so much. It’s so difficult to play…so much commotion going on in the playoffs. She wanted me to relax. Thank you so much. I knocked down that three.” Whatever it is that works for World Peace, he should continue to stick to it.

SEPTEMBER 2010

A Los Angeles police officer pulled World Peace over while the NBA player was riding around in “an oversized go-cart called an Eagle Roadster,” according to reports. No, he wasn’t speeding. The registration on the car had reportedly lapsed. It wasn’t even his car, it turned out, but belonged to someone in Tennessee. The good news is that World Peace donned a helmet to protect himself for his joyride.

DECEMBER 2010

After World Peace finally got his championship ring, he decided soon after that it was time to give it away. A Los Angeles man won the ring in a charity raffle World Peace ran that brought in $500,000. He said that it served as both inspiration and as motivation to go win another title with the Lakers. Stay tuned.

David Banks, Getty Images

When you run on the field during a baseball game, you should expect rough treatment from the security guards or the players, if they happen to get to you first.

However, Chicago White Sox left fielder Dayan Viciedo couldn’t have been more gentle when he apprehended a field invader during the sixth inning of his team’s game against the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week.

That’s probably because the runner is said to be four-years-old, and Viciedo was able to effortlessly swoop him up and carry him over to security.

“My first reaction was just to grab him,” Viciedo said via an interpreter. “What I was thinking was that I hoped a ball doesn’t hit him, so that is why I instinctively went to grab him.”

The boy and two adults were ejected from the game. Speculation is that the youngster was told by his dad to run onto the field.

Baseball fans may remember an incident at Chicago’s Cellular Field in 2002 when a shirtless and heavily inebriated father and son duo jumped out of the stands and attacked Kansas City Royals’ coach Tom Gamboa.

While that incident was downright scary, this father and son misadventure on Chicago’s South Side ended up being pretty adorable, with a big assist from Viciedo.

Source: TheFW.com

YouTube

Suburban Indonesians have vowed to boycott purchasing Ted Nugent’s music after video surfaced of comments he made at last weekend’s NRA convention urging support for Mitt Romney in the upcoming presidential election.  Nugent suggested that if President Obama were re-elected this fall, the United States might as well be a “suburb of Indonesia,” as though that were a bad thing.

According to Sneptha Prekesh, organizer of the boycott: “For too long the Motor City Madman has taken suburban Indonesia for granted.  Now this.  The Nuge has gone too far this time.  ”

A spokesman for Nugent shrugged and noted that suburban Indonesia accounts for less than one third of one percent of sales from the Nugent catalog available on itunes.  (Although he did concede that a disproportionately large percentage of “Cat Scratch Fever,” downloads do come from suburban Indonesia.)

Although not as well organized, stoned hippies were also upset.  Said one, “Not cool, Nuge…”

Dr. Psarcasm

“Remember, the ‘P’ is NOT silent.  Seriously.”

(Dr. Psarcasm is not a real journalist.  Unless real journalists make up fake quotes for fake news stories.  Then he is.  This fake news story is for entertainment purposes only.)

ABC

On Monday night, Latin and the ballroom came together in one big explosion of fringe and ruffles and male shirtlessness. But who didn’t share their respective bon-bons quite hard enough?

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, whose silver dress made her look like a baked potato ready for the oven, first announced that Maria and Derek had been chosen by the judges for the honorary encore dance.

On performance night, judge Carrie Ann chided them for a kiss they staged in their salsa, calling it a “sell-out” move. So during their encore, Derek replaced the smooch by running over and surprising Carrie Ann with a liplock instead. (Funny thing — she didn’t seem to mind that one at all.)

Then it was time to announce the first three safe couples: Maria and Derek, Melissa and Maks, and Gladys and Tristan.

Melissa was so relieved that she let forth a string of expletives that had to be bleeped (Pa Ingalls would’ve washed her mouth out with soap for that):

Even though Gladys hasn’t been getting great judges’ scores, we’re glad she got enough audience votes to survive for next week’s Motown theme. It seems only right.

Then the new elimination method was explained. Citing previous contestants who went home midway through the competition even though they were very good, the judges will have the bottom two couples dance side-by-side to determine who should actually leave, with the judges making the final decision themselves. We like it — this way no one stays in on pity votes alone.

Next three safe couples:
William and Cheryl, Katherine and Mark, and Donald and Peta. Duh.

That left only one more safe couple: Roshon and Chelsie.

So the bottom two were Jaleel and Kym and Gavin and Karina. Tough break for Jaleel, but as cute and pleasant as Gavin is, he’s been a consistent bottom-two dweller and could probably sense his good luck was running out.

Then it was Dance Dual time — one cha-cha, danced simultaneously by both couples. Since the choreography for each one was so different, it was kinda hard to contrast and compare, but it was pretty clear that Jaleel and Kym looked better.

And the judges agreed — in a unanimous decision, they sent Gavin and Karina home.

Gavin expected it and took the news with his characteristic good humor and grace, but we’re kinda bummed because now we’ll never know what’s under that hat.

See you next week.